Soil cultivating implements

ABSTRACT

An implement has a row of tined motors that work a broad path of soil. Immediately in front of the rotors is a soil displacing elongated bar that is held to penetrate and raise a shallow layer of soil which is thereafter deposited immediately in front of the working tines. The bar extends parallel to the row of rotors and has a flat bottom that slightly compresses the ground from which the layer of soil is being displaced. The bar can be raised or lowered on supports interconnected to the frame. In front of the bar, a V-shaped guide can be connected to smooth the soil engaged by wheels of the prime mover. A rear roller can be positioned to further level the layer of soil that has been worked by the counter rotating rotors so that a seed bed can be finally prepared in one pass.

For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a soil cultivating implement in accordance with the invention connected to the rear of an agricultural tractor,

FIG. 2 is a section, to an enlarged scale, taken on the line II--II in FIG. 1, the implement being shown in operation,

FIG. 3 is a section taken on the line III--III in FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the same implement as that illustrated in FIG. 1 but shows the provision of an additional member, and

FIG. 5 is a section, to an enlarged scale, taken on the line V--V in FIG. 4.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings, the soil cultivating implement that is illustrated is in the form of a rotary harrow and comprises a hollow box-shaped frame portion 1 that extends substantially horizontally transverse, and normally substantially horizontally perpendicular, to the intended direction of operative travel of the implement which is indicated by an arrow A in FIGS. 1 and 2 and also in FIGS. 4 and 5. The frame portion 1 rotatably supports a plurality (in this case, twelve) of vertical or substantially vertical shafts 2 whose axes are spaced apart from one another along said frame portion at regular intervals which conveniently, but not essentially, have magnitudes of substantially 25 centimeters. Each shaft 2 project from beneath the bottom of the frame portion 1 and is there provided with a corresponding rotary soil working or cultivating member 7. Each member 7 comprises a horizontal or substantially horizontal support 3 that is perpendicularly fastened at its midpoint to the lowermost end of the shaft 2 concerned, said support 3 having sleeve-like tine holders 4 rigidly secured to its opposite ends in such a way that the longitudinal axes of said holders 4 are in substantially parallel relationship with the axis of rotation of the corresponding shaft 2. The tine holders 4 receive fastening portions of corresponding rigid tines 6, each tine 6 having a straight soil working portion that tapers downwardly from substantially the lowermost end of the corresponding holder 4 in gently rearwardly inclined or "trailing" relationship with the intended direction of operative rotation of the member 7 of which the tine 6 concerned forms a part (see the arrows in FIG. 1 of the drawings).

The opposite ends of the hollow frame portion 1 are closed by corresponding plates 8 and arms 11 are turnable upwardly and downwardly alongside those plates 8 about substantially horizontal axis that is afforded by aligned strong pivots 10 located at the tops and fronts of the end plates 8 with respect to the direction A. The arms 11 extend rearwardly from their pivotal mountings and their rear ends, which project beyond the plates 8, carry downwardly inclined brackets (see FIG. 2). Horizontally aligned bearings that are carried by the brackets at the ends of the arms 11 rotatably connect a supporting member 12, in the form of an open ground roller, to the arms 11 and thus indirectly to the frame portion 1. The supporting member 12, which is freely rotatable, comprises a central, preferably tubular, member to which a plurality (such as seven) of generally circular vertically disposed plates are secured at regular intervals along the length thereof. Peripheral regions of the vertical plates are formed with a plurality (such as sixteen) of holes through which a similar number of elongated rod-formation, or tube-formation as illustrated, elements 13 are entered at regularly spaced apart intervals around the axially disposed central member, said elements 13 preferably, as illustrated, being wound helically around the axis of rotation of the member 12 to some extent. If desired, the elements 13 may extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis/axes of rotation of the member 12.

The arms 11 by which the member 12 is connected to the frame portion 1 are turnable upwardly and downwardly about the aligned pivots 10 at the tops and fronts of the end plates 8 and are provided with bolts 12A that can be entered in chosen ones of curved rows of holes 9 that are formed alongside the broad (from top to bottom) rear edges of the end plates 8 at equal distances from the axis defined by the strong pivots 10. The particular holes 9 that are chosen for co-operation with the bolts 12A determine the level of the axis of rotation of the supporting member 12 relative to the frame portion 1, this being a principal factor in determining the maximum depth of penetration of the tines 6 of the soil working or cultivating members 7 into the ground which is possible during the use of the implement. In addition to performing its supporting function, the member 12 effects a gentle smoothing and compressing action upon the surface of the soil that has been worked by the immediately foregoing tines 6 during the use of the implement. Moreover, the member 12 will crush any large lumps of soil that may have been left upon the surface thereof by the tines of the members 7.

The members 7 extend in a single row that is substantially horizontally perpendicular to the direction A and, beyond the opposite ends of that row, substantially vertically disposed shield plates 14 are arranged in parallel relationship with the direction A, each shield plate 14 being turnable upwardly and downwardly, to match undulations in the surface of the ground that its lower edge may meet during operative progress in the direction A, about a corresponding substantially horizontal axis that is substantially parallel to the direction A and that is afforded by corresponding pivots mounted on top of the frame portion 1 at a short distance inwardly towards the center of the implement from the corresponding end plate 8. The connection between each shield plate 14 and the corresponding pair of pivots is afforded by a pair of arms 15 that initially extend upwardly from the upper edge of the corresponding plate 14 in closely adjacent or adjoining relationship whereafter said arms 15 diverge towards their respective pivots as can be seen in FIG. 1 of the drawings. The shield plates 14 minimise ridging of the soil at the opposite edges of the broad strip of land which the members 7 cultivate during the use of the implement and also act substantially to prevent stones and like potentially dangerous items from being flung laterally from the path of travel of the implememt by the tines 6 of its rapidly rotating soil working or cultivating members 7.

Substantially vertically disposed supports 17 extend downwardly from the frame portion 1 at two locations which are just in front of that frame portion with respect to the direction A at similar distances towards the center of the frame portion from its opposite end plates 8. Each support 17 is lodged between corresponding guides 16 and 17A, each pair of guides 16 and 17A being carried by a corresponding bracket 16A that projects forwardly from the front of the frame portion at, and above, the level of the bottom of that frame portion. The top of each support 17 projects above that of the frame portion 1 and is there rigidly secured to the leading end of a corresponding arm 18 that projects rearwardly therefrom, in a direction substantially opposite to the direction A, to have its rearmost end secured to a corresponding plate 33 that will be referred to again below. Each support 17 has a corresponding similarly disposed support 19 clamped alongside it with the aid of a corresponding horizontal bolt 20 that is entered through a hole formed in a lower end region of the support 17 concerned and through a chosen one of a vertical row of several holes 21 that are formed through the support 19 concerned. It will be apparent that the holes 21 that are chosen to cooperate with the bolts 20 and the holes in the supports 17 dictate the degree of downward extension of the supports 19 beyond the supports 17 that is adopted. FIG. 2 of the drawings illustrates one of the supports 19 in a position in which it is nearly as far extended as is possible downwardly beyond the corresponding support 17 and it will be apparent from that Figure that, even when the uppermost hole 21 is chosen for co-operation with the corresponding bolt 20, the uppermost curved end of the support 19 that can be seen in FIG. 2 will still be located between or above the corresponding guides 16 and 17A and alongside the corresponding support 17. Thus, the supports 19 are prevented from turning pivotally about the bolts 20 relative to the supports 17 whichever holes 21 are used.

The lowermost ends of the two supports 19 are both secured to the top of a horizontally, or substantially horizontally, disposed soil working member 22 which member extends substantially perpendicular to the direction A in substantially parallel relationship with the single row of shafts 2. The member 22 comprises a bar 23 of right-angled cross-section that is arranged with the junction between its two limbs uppermost and with said limbs diverging downwardly therefrom at substantially 45° to both the horizontal and the vertical. The bar 23 extends throughout substantially the whole of the working width of the twelve soil working or cultivating members 7 and the relatively facing inner sides of its two limbs are interconnected, just short of the edges of those limbs, by a member in the form of a substantially horizontal plate 24 which is strip-welded, spot-welded or otherwise made rigid with the bar 23. As can be seen in FIG. 2 of the drawings, the leading soil working member 22 bears upon and penetrates into, the surface of the soil during the operation of the implement, the leading limb of the bar 23 with respect to the direction A affording a soil guide that is upwardly and rearwardly inclined, with respect to the direction A, from its lowermost to its uppermost edge at an angle of substantially 45° to both the horizontal and the vertical.

Each of the shafts 2 is provided, inside the hollow frame portion 1, with a corresponding straight-toothed or spur-toothed pinion 25 and it will be seen from the drawings that the teeth of each pinion 25 are in mesh with those of its neighbour, or of both of its neighbours in the single row thereof so that, when the implement is in operation, the pinions 25 and the corresponding shafts 2 and soil working or cultivating members 7 will rotate in the directions that are indicated by the small arrows in FIG. 1 of the drawings, the direction of rotation of each pinion 25 being opposite to that of its neighbour, or both of its neighbours, in the row. One of the center pair of shafts 2 of the single row thereof has an upward extension into a gear box 27 that is mounted on top of the hollow frame portion 1 immediately to the left of the center thereof when the latter is viewed from the rear in the direction A. A bevel pinion carried by the shaft extension has its teeth in mesh with those of a second bevel pinion carried by a shaft that is not visible in the drawings but that is substantially horizontally parallel to the direction A. The rearmost end of this shaft extends into a change-speed gear 28 at the back of the gear box 27 together with the rearmost end of an overlying and parallel shaft 29. The two shaft ends that project into the change-speed gear 28 are splined or otherwise keyed to receive co-operating pairs of straight- or spur-toothed pinions in an interchangeable and/or exchangeable manner. It is not necessary to describe the construction of the change-speed gear 28 in detail for the purposes of the present invention and it suffices to say that the pinion arrangement which is selected for use in the change-speed gear 28 governs the transmission ratio between the shaft 29 and the underlying parallel shaft that is not visible in the drawings and thus the speed at which the shafts 2 and members 7 will rotate, during the use of the implement, in response to a substantially standard input speed of rotation to the gear box 27. The Leading end of the shaft 29 projects forwardly from the gear box 27 in substantially the direction A and is there splined or otherwise keyed to enable it to be placed in driven connection with the power take-off shaft of an agricultural tractor or other operating vehicle through the intermediary of a telescopic transmission shaft 30 that is of a construction which is known per se having universal joints at its opposite ends. A generally triangular coupling member or trestle 31 is secured to the front of the frame portion 1 substantially midway across the width of the implement and is constructed and arranged for connection to the three-point lifting device or hitch at the rear of an agricultural tractor or other operating vehicle in a manner that is generally known per se. As can be seen in FIG. 1 of the drawings, strengthening tie beams 32 interconnect an upper region of the coupling member or trestle 31 and the aforementioned plates 33 which plates afford spaced anchorages at the top and rear of the frame portion 1 with respect to the direction A.

The implement that has been described is particularly, but not exclusively, suitable for cultivating land to form a seed bed for sugar beet seeds. When preparing the implement for use, the arms 11 are adjusted to positions which are such that the rotatable supporting member 12 allows the implement to bear upon the ground also by way of the tines 6 of its soil working or cultivating members 7. The supports 19 of the soil working member 22 at the front of the implement are then adjusted relative to the supports 17 until the member 22 also bears upon the ground surface. A speed or rotation of the members 7 that is suitable for the nature and condition of the soil that is to be worked is brought about by an appropriate arrangement of pinions within the change-speed gear 28. Once the necessary adjustments have been made, a tractor or other operating vehicle moves the implement over the ground in the direction A, the members 7 rotating in the directions that are indicated by the small arrows in FIG. 1 of the drawings to work a single broad strip of soil because the distance between the lowermost free ends or tips of the two tines 6 of each member 7 is a little greater than is the distance between the axes of rotation of immediately neighbouring shafts 2 so that the strips of land which are worked by individual members 7 overlap one another. The soil working member 22 at the front of the implement is disposed immediately in advance of the row of rotary soil working or cultivating members 7 so as to co-operate with those members 7. The soil guide that is afforded by the leading limb of the bar 23 of the soil working member 22 scrapes off a layer of top soil which preferably has an average depth of between substantially 2 and substantially 3 centimeters as illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawings and, with a sufficient forward speed of the implement in the direction A, the scraped off soil passes rearwardly over the top of the member 22 and falls into the working area of the tines 6 of the immediately following members 7. The displaced soil is finely and substantially evenly crumbled by the tines 6 and is left lying in that condition on top of an underlying soil layer whose upper surface has been compressed to some extent by the passage thereover of the bottom of the foregoing soil working member 22. This surface of the underlying soil layer thus forms the base of the seed bed which is prepared by the implement. The overlying layer that has been crumbled by the tines 6 of the members 7 is gently compressed by the passage thereover of the ground roller that affords the rotatable supporting member 12 and, as previously mentioned, that roller will crush any large lumps of soil that may exceptionally have escaped crumbling by the tines 6. Sugar beet seed can be sown in the prepared bed in a separate and subsequent operation or, advantageously, by a seed drill connected to the rear of the soil cultivating implement that has been described. The anchorage plates 33 at the top and rear of the frame portion 1 comprise coupling points which may be used in connecting a seed drill to the rear of the implement.

Whether or not the sugar beet seed is sown in a simultaneous operation, the seed drill which performs that operation is set to deposit the seeds at substantially the bottom of the uppermost crumbled and relatively loose layer of top soil so that they will lie substantially on the base of that layer, which base has been formed in the manner described above. The use of the implement that has been described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 of the drawings enables a seed bed to be prepared in a simple manner, usually with a single traverse of the implement, the seed bed comprising an upper relatively thin, relatively finely divided and relatively loose top soil layer and an underlying relatively firm base. A seed bed of this kind provides optimum conditions for the germination of sugar beet seeds and the subsequent growth of the young plants. In order to avoid the formation of deep wheel tracks by the tractor or other vehicle which operates the implement, it is desirable that said tractor or other vehicle should be provided with so-called cage wheels 34 as illustrated diagrammatically in broken lines in FIG. 1 of the drawings. However, if, for any reason, the provision of cage wheels is not possible, the modified construction illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawings may be employed to obliterate the wheel tracks or considerably reduce their effect.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawings, the implement that is illustrated therein is substantially identical to the implement of FIGS. 1 to 3 except for the provision, at the front thereof with respect to the direction A, of a guide member 35 that is of shallow V-shaped configuration when seen in plan view (FIG. 4), the point of the V being located foremost at a position substantially midway across the width of the implement. Two lugs 37 project forwardly from the leading limb of the bar 23 of the soil working member 22 in parallel relationship with the direction A, said lugs 37 being located at two points which are approximately midway between the center of the bar 23 and its opposite ends respectively. Horizontally aligned pivot pins 36 are fastened to the lugs 37 and further lugs 38 carried at the rear of the two limbs of the guide member 35 are turnably mounted on the pins 36 so that said member 35 can be turned angularly upwards and downwards about the axis which the pins 36 define. It will be noted from FIG. 4 of the drawings that the pivotal connections which are afforded by the two pins 36 are quite close to the free ends of the respective limbs of the V-shaped guide member 35. In order to avoid accidental disengagement of the lugs 38 from the pivot pins 36, known so-called "safety" pins that are of a construction which is known per se are entered through transverse bores close to the free ends of the pivot pins 36, the "safety" pins not being illustrated in the accompanying drawings. A horizontally disposed beam 40 of hollow formation and square cross-section rigidly interconnects lower plates of the coupling member of trestle 31 in parallel relationship with the frame portion 1 and carries, substantially at its center, a pair of forwardly projecting lugs 26 (FIG. 5). The upper end of a stay 39 of adjustable length is pivoted to the lugs 26 and the lower end thereof is pivoted to a pair of lugs carried by the guide member 35 at the rear of its forwardly directed point. The stay 39 is not illustrated in FIG. 4 of the drawings in order to maintain the clarity of that Figure. A brief inspection of FIG. 5 will show that the known stay 39 comprises a central sleeve whose opposite end regions are formed with internal left-hand and right-hand screw-threads respectively, matchingly externally screw-threaded portions of rods being entered in said end regions of the sleeve. The effective length of the stay 39 can thus be increased or decreased merely by rotating the sleeve relative to the rods in an appropriate direction.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawings, the V-shaped guide member 35 is comprised principally by a beam of channel-shaped cross-section whose base is disposed in an upright position at the front of the member with respect to the direction A and whose limbs project more or less horizontally rearwardly from the upper and lower edges of said base. The pivotal connections to the leading soil working member 22 that are defined principally by the pivot pins 36 are located outwardly beyond the rear wheels of the tractor or other vehicle which tows and operates the implement (see FIG. 4) and, in operation, the guide member 35 deflects soil from a central region of the path of travel of the tractor or other operating vehicle laterally towards the opposite sides of that path of travel so that the deflected soil will fall into, and fill, or at least nearly fill, the tracks formed by the rear wheels of the tractor or other vehicle. The implement can thus operate to form a smooth seed bed in the manner that has already been described above. The stay 39 can be lengthened or shortened, as may be desired, to alter the angular disposition of the guide member 35 about the axis defined by the pins 36 and thus to direct the point of that member 35 more or less deeply into the soil. Generally speaking, the deeper the setting of the point of the member 35, the more soil will be deflected laterally by that member and vice versa. In addition to use thereof in the manner that has been described, the leading soil working member 22, whether or not combined with the guide member 35, may be employed in cultivating soil at a greater depth. It will be remembered that, in addition to being able to adjust the supports 19 relative to the supports 17, the level of the axis of rotation of the rotary supporting member 12 can be adjusted relative to that of the frame poriton 1 by changing the angular positions of the arms 11 about the axis defined by the strong pivots 10. The member 22 can also be used at a higher level which is such that it merely smooths the surface of the land immediately before that land is worked by the tines 6 of the rotary members 7.

Although various features of the soil working implements that have been described and/or that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings will be set forth in the following claims as inventive features, it is emphasised that the invention is not necessarily limited to those features and that it includes within its scope each of the parts of each soil cultivating implement that has been described, and/or that is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, both individually and in various combinations. 

We claim:
 1. A soil cultivating implement comprising a frame and a plurality of soil working rotors supported in a row on an elongated portion of said frame, said row extending transverse to the direction of implement travel, said rotors having downwardly extending tines and being rotatable about upwardly extending axes defined by corresponding shafts, driving means connected to rotate adjacent rotors in relative opposite directions, a transverse soil scraping and displacing member being connected to said frame and positioned adjacent, but spaced apart from the front side of the paths described by the tines of the rotors, said displacing member being elongated and comprising a leading cutting edge that is located at about the same horizontal level as the lower tips of said tines and substantially forwardly thereof leaving a space said displacing member being positioned to displace a layer of soil upwardly and rearwardly to fall into said space and the rotating paths of the tines of said rotors during operation, whereby the soil is deposited in a crumbled layer on a substantially unworked ground base an elongated supporting roller being interconnected to the frame and positioned to the rear of said rotors.
 2. An implement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the front side of said displacing member comprises a guide for soil and has a surface extending upwardly and rearwardly relative to the direction of travel.
 3. An implement as claimed in claim 2, wherein a V-shaped guide is centrally positioned in front of said displacing member with its foremost point located in the direction of travel to displace soil laterally into the path of said front side, said guide being connected to the displacing member and stay means interconnecting the guide with said frame.
 4. An implement as claimed in claim 3, wherein side limbs of said guide are pivoted to said displacing member and an adjustable stay pivotably interconnects said point to said frame portion.
 5. An implement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said displacing member is a bar of angular cross-section, free edges of the limbs of said bar being positioned to penetrate and scrape up a layer of ground during operation.
 6. An implement as claimed in claim 1, wherein arms interconnect the rear of said frame portion to the upper portions of a support means that interconnects said displacing member to the front of the frame member.
 7. An implement as claimed in claim 6, wherein said support means includes downwardly extending support elements which depend from said frame portion and fastenings releaseably secure said supports to said elements.
 8. A soil cultivating implement comprising a frame and a plurality of soil working rotors suppported in a row on an elongated portion of said frame, said row extending transverse to the direction of implement travel, said rotors having downwardly extending tines and being rotatable about upwardly extending axes defined by corresponding shafts, driving means connected to rotate adjacent rotors in relative opposite directions, a soil scraping and displacing member being connected to said frame and positioned adjacent, but in spaced-apart relationship from the front side of the paths described by said tines, said scraping member comprising an elongated bar that is located at about the same horizontal level as the lower tips of said tines and co-extending with said row, said bar having an angular cross-section and a leading cutting edge positioned to displace a layer of soil upwardly and rearwardly to fall into said space and the rotating paths of the tines during operation, whereby the soil is deposited in a crumbled layer on a substantially unworked ground base an elongated supporting roller being interconnected to the frame and positioned to the rear of said rotors.
 9. An implement as claimed in claim 8, wherein said bar has limbs and a connecting plate extends between said limbs. 